The Indigo Sky
by UltrraShaddow
Summary: Five years after the Ark incident, Shadow makes his homecoming to Station Square...but after five years, Shadow tries to rekindle a long lost friendship...and discovers deep, dark secrets! R


**_UlTrRa_** **_SiK pRoDuCtIoNs pReSeNtZ: _**

**_ThE iNdiGo Sky_**

_By: UlTrAa ShAdDow_

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of Sega's characters….but I'd be a very happy guy if I did!_

_Do you know that in some different countries, they celebrate the Fourth of July…interesting, huh? _

-_Indigo is the color that signifies subtleness and balance, also it a color that signifies hope-_

_

* * *

_

…**_Five years after the Ark incident…_**

**_

* * *

_**

It was another hazy, humid summer lit with the accompaniment of the stars parading across the sky. The air was filled with the blue-gray smoke from clusters of grills where delicious meats sizzled. Lemonade was spilled into awaiting Styrofoam cups, like small golden streams.

It was the Fourth of July and the atmosphere seemed almost magical; the sky was alit with combusting multicolored lights, delightful feasts were being prepped, and both children and adults alike relaxed in the warmth of the summer night.

In Barquisimeto, a small town within Venezuela, a dark hedgehog sat on the roof of a house, gazing skyward. He sat on the deep crimson roof, watching thoughtfully as the exploding fireworks flared brilliantly.

Just as the ultimate life form thought himself to be alone, a small voice unsettled him from his deliberation, "Shadow ¿Dónde está usted? Where are you?"

The midnight-colored hedgehog turned his gaze from the crackling sky to peer at the owner of the voice. Standing directly underneath him was a small hedgehog boy of no more than eight years. His deep tawny fur and sky-blue eyes were hidden within the folds of the night's darkness. Shadow smirked at the child, "I'm up here, like always. I practically live on your roof."

"Un minuto, I want to join you!" the child scrambled away into his small house.

Shadow peered skyward as he returned his attention back to the sky; just how long had he been living with this family? Four, five years? Shadow confirmed the thought, yup; it had been five years since he was found on the shores of Venezuela.

He had been discovered bloody and half-alive by an ambling toddler who had been sucking his thumb. Shadow later learned him to be Rogelio. And the boy lived with his mother, Soledad. The young woman was a fawn-colored hedgehog with the same striking eyes as her son.

Shadow closed his eyes, this time his thoughts dwelled upon the ark. _The ark_. After the incident on ark, it was nothing less than a miracle that the black hedgehog was able to live! With the last jolts of his energy, he was able to prevent himself from being fried upon his entrance into the atmosphere. And afterwards, he was left a helpless, sweltering blob on the coast of a lovely city.

After some time, when Rogelio and Soledad salvaged the dark hero from the depths of death, after months and months of sleep and rest, he was able to make a spectacular recovery.

Within a year or so, Shadow was able to reform and perfect his skills that had been lost with time. If things weren't shaping up already, Shadow soon began to pick up the energy sources of a Chaos Emerald!

In most cases, after one harnessed or used the Chaos Emeralds' power, the seven emeralds scattered. With his sighting of the nearest emerald, Shadow assumed that after the Ark incident, the others hadn't had even bothered with relocating the Chaos Emeralds.

Shadow slowly turned his gaze to his palm where he found an idling forest-green jewel. Now that he had a Chaos Emerald after five long, wearisome years, he would finally be able to return home…

…To Station Square.

Ruby-red eyes possessively took in the sight of the Emerald; just the thought of being able to return home filled Shadow with a light, hopefulness that he hadn't felt since the day he was able to walk again.

"Shadow!"

Shadow turned to his left to see little Rogelio rushing towards him. Within a couple of strides, the youngster was beside him; the roof wasn't that big.

He greeted the crimson and black hedgehog with a radiant smile until his eyes fell upon the gem within his hands, "¿Usted sale, no es usted?"

Shadow frowned; after living five years with the child and his mother, he had been able to pick up a few strands of their language, "…Yes, I shall be leaving…Tonight as a matter of fact."

The boy nodded his head sadly, "I understand. You like home. Not my home…but home."

Over the years, the child had become vastly attached to the dark hedgehog; he had even started seeing him as a father figure. Not that the boy's mother minded too greatly, for even she had started to become attached to the stranger as well…

Shadow smirked as he rubbed Rogelio's head, "But don't in anyway think that this is the end, Ro. I'll come to visit you."

"Promise?"

"Promise. Now go to bed before your mother finds you."

The small tawny hedgehog quickly hugged Shadow before he went off and disappeared into his house. Shadow watched with a slight smirk. Once he was sure that the boy was gone, Shadow sighed lightly, turned his head and closed his eyes.

He quickly rose to his feet as he sensed another presence, "…It's about time I leave…"

"…"

A young, earth-colored hedgehog female stepped out of the shadows of darkness and appeared behind him. She stared at Shadow with sad, but remarkable light eyes that seemed alien within the dark frame of her face, "…I understand…but I only wish that you could return my feelings."

Shadow shifted his stance uncomfortably, "…I am forever grateful for your hospitality you have shown me over the years…You took me in and sheltered me, even in your poverty. That is something I shall forever remember."

Soledad smiled, "But you have given much in return Shadow, you have protected my son and me countless times! …And you have made my heart celebrate once again…even with the death of Rogelio's father…Are you sure you can't stay and marry a beautiful young woman?"

Shadow smirked slightly, even though he saw the fair face of Soledad, he shook his head, "Tempting, but I can't. I'm sorry but I can't stay any longer…"

Just as Shadow held up the crystal and was washed with green light, which usually companied the Chaos control teleportation, Soledad rushed over towards him and grasped his arm.

In the blaring green light her sky-blue eyes were held in a chartreuse hue, "I can tell you love another…she must be…extravagant to win you…"

Shadow blinked as an image of a girl with clear blue eyes and ivory white fur appeared before him. Then he surrendered his gaze to Soledad who stared deeply at him, "But remember…Yo siempre le adoraré."

Just as Shadow disappeared, the brown hedgehog leaned forward and gently kissed his fading face. Within another second, the last traces of the male hedgehog were gone and she stood, now gazing at the fireworks with tears.

* * *

:**Station** **Square**:-: _The Strip-_10:30 A.M.:

* * *

It was just budding into another warm day in Station Square as a familiar blue hero strolled through Station Square's 'strip'. With his usual swagger, he ambled through the streets, hopping that fans would recognize him, and they did.

Just as Sonic finished signing his last autograph, he sealed the signature off with a charming wink, then turned heel and began back on his trek through the city.

As he ambled further along the road, he felt his stomach gurgle viciously and decided to make a food pit stop. He'd probably eat at that one cutesy diner down the road because they had super-cute waitresses there. Not to mention that Amy was the bellhop at the front counter as well. And when Amy worked there it meant one thing…

…Free food!

As Sonic started for the diner he had been dreaming about, a flare of emerald light broke out before his eyes, and standing there was…

"_Shadow!_?"

Shadow's ears flickered and he turned to look at the cerulean hedgehog. After five years, Shadow had decided that he looked almost exactly the same, except for the new red sneaks. Surprisingly, as dissimilar as their tastes were, Shadow actually appreciated his new footwear.

Taking a better look at the gaping blue hedgehog, it even looked as if the blue wonder had gained a few inches in stature. After five years, Shadow racked his brain and dug out a word in his vocabulary that he didn't even know he knew, " Sonic?"

Sonic stared at the black hedgehog incredulously, then did the unexpected. He emitted a noise that was a blend between a squeal and a choke and jumped into Shadow's arms, "_Shadow? Shadow! Shadow? Shadow!?"_

"…" Shadow was speechless.

"You're alive! And you just poofed in front of me in the middle of nowhere!" Sonic cried, "I'm so shocked…I could just cry and scream and pee at the same time!"

Shadow frowned, slightly revolted and looked as if he was ready to drop Sonic right then and there, but the blue hedgehog laughed and countered, "Just kidding!"

He outted himself from Shadow's grip and bear-hugged the black hedgehog yet again. After his seventh consecutive bear-hug, Sonic stared at Shadow intensely, " _It. Is. So. Good. To see you again_! I thought you were hedgehog goo!"

Shadow closed his eyes; for once, it had felt so nice to see an old, familiar face again, but now he realized or recalled, just _why_ he disliked the blue hedgehog so much. He was _so_ annoying. And spontaneous. There was nothing that disturbed the ultimate one more than spontaneous events…or people. Especially if they were annoying spontaneous people.

"Hey Shadow, I bet you're hungry, aren't cha?" Sonic asked.

Shadow opened his eyes, "…Why do you ask, blue hedgehog?"

"Because I was on my way to a diner. Wanna come with? Everyone's gonna be there…I think."

The hesitance that was just beginning to accumulate within Shadow's mind dispersed; it would be nice to see all the others again, " Really?"

"Uh-huh."

"Fine then. Lead me blue hedgehog."

Sonic put an arm on Shadow's shoulder in a friendly gesture. At first Shadow tensed, as his shoulders went ridged; however he remembered that he was walking in a familiar city with a familiar ally. Shadow's discomfort faded; he looked at the blue guy next to him and already Sonic was off in his own word, sharing his best tales with a long lost friend. Normally he would hate Sonic's endless rants, but now, he actually didn't mind so much.

* * *

True to his word, just as he promised, Sonic led Shadow to a diner. Upon entrance, Shadow could tell that the building had been modeled after modern French structures. Although Shadow felt as if he was visiting someone's grandmother, with the place being decorated with lacy curtains, drapes, and table clothes, he still thought it had a warm, comfortable atmosphere. Mentally, he gave props to the decorators of the joint.

After drinking in his surroundings, Shadow was roused out of his meditation when Sonic began telling him another one of his stories. Shadow sighed impatiently as he let his eyelids drop slightly; this was the sixth time Sonic was telling him about how he was marooned on the Bahamas with twelve girls.

'_I swear, if he tells me this story again, I'll manage a way to put myself back on Ark,' _Shadow thought, ' _Then_ _I_--'

"Next in line, please."

Shadow blinked; that voice sounded familiar. Very familiar, as if that voice belonged to someone he knew. Just as he began to inquire who the light, airy voice belonged to, Amy Rose fell into view.

She drummed her fingers patiently upon the wooden podium before her. The girl hedgehog was adorned in a black French maid outfit, and despite the quills that fell below her shoulders, she looked the same as she did five years ago.

A couple of differences that Shadow did detect were that she was just a tad bit taller and slightly more filled out. Out of the corner of his eyes, Shadow glanced at Sonic. Unconsciously he wondered if Sonic had noticed these nice new changes as well.

...No, he was more than sure that Sonic had noticed; if Sonic was indeed a guy, then he had ogled over her several times over already.

Amy's sight fell upon the duo. At first she smiled amiably and waved at the two of them, but when she did a double take and realized Shadow was…well, Shadow, her mouth fell to the floor.

"_Shadow!_?"

Before Shadow could respond, Amy flew from her podium and crushed the dark hedgehog with a hug, "Shadow! I can't believe you're alive!"

With a bit of resent, Sonic pried Amy from Shadow, "Okay , okay Ames, he gets it. You're happy to see him….Now can you take us to our seats?"

Sonic crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently; was he upset at Amy's overfriendly display of affection with Shadow? Shadow smirked; he knew the answer to that one.

"Oh, yeah, sure! We'll hafta talk more later. The others are here too, and they'll be ecstatic to see you as well!" Amy picked up a couple of menus and signaled them to follow her.

After darting and weaving through a couple of tables, Amy took both of the hedgehogs to a large booth where three guests were seated. Sonic instantly took the initiative and greeted one of the table's occupants with a high-five.

This was the echidna Shadow recognized as Knuckles. The big red guy was still the same as far as he could tell; he had the same quiet, standoffish demeanor, and the same intense violet eyes. Beside the guardian was a slightly taller Tails and Cream.

Tails had certainly sprouted up from the last time Shadow had seen him. And his face, which looked generally the same, somehow appeared much more mature; the young kit was just beginning to embark on adolescence.

Cream, the little kindergartner, was now a young girl, bright and cheerful and capable of making both her own decisions and friendships. Indeed she was still very young, but she wasn't the little one that he knew.

The young fox smiled as he greeted Sonic. Shadow blinked, feeling a sort of sadness overcoming him. So the little ones were growing up without him. Although he didn't know them personally, it still stung.

Just as Sonic took his seat, the three of them turned to face Shadow. And all of them were speechless. Knuckles eyes widened as stupor took him swiftly, Tails was frozen like a still-life, and Cream blinked up at Shadow both thoughtfully and neutrally. She had been too young to retain any sort of memory about him.

"…"

"Guys," Sonic began, with a slight smile on his face, " …This is Shadow."

* * *

"So you were _really_ in Venezuela the whole time?" Tails asked.

Shadow glanced up and looked Tails dead in the eye. So not only had he gained a few inches to his stature, but he also was beginning to shed his child-like voice.

Shadow felt nostalgia rising from within himself as he stared at the young fox. Why couldn't he have been there to see Tails growing up? With the foreign look in Shadow's eyes, accompanied with the long, unblinking stare, Tails began to feel uncomfortable. Why was he looking at him like that? Had he upset Shadow?

"What?" Tails asked softly becoming much more shy.

Shadow shook his head and glanced away, "Yes Tails, I was there the entire time."

"So why didn't you call us?" Tails asked, "We would have come for you."

Shadow narrowed his eyes slightly, "No. I searched, but the area I lived in was too poor to house telephones. I searched and looked for miles and miles but still came up empty-handed."

"Couldn't you have at least tried to aim your Chaos countdown, on something?" Knuckles asked.

" 'Chaos countdown'?' Sonic asked half-smiling, "Don't you mean 'Chaos control'."

"Whatever, you know what I meant!"

"I was falling through the atmosphere," Shadow replied dryly, looking sharply at Knuckles, "So sue me if I can't land in your backyard!"

A snicker rose and the little girl was smiling back at him. Most first impressions of Shadow were usually ghastly encounters; it was rare that someone took a liking to Shadow right off the bat, but Cream smiled at him delightedly, "You're funny, mister."

Shadow arched an eyebrow, "You're not afraid of me anymore, little girl?"

Only the way a child could, Cream shook her head from side to side, all too vigorously, "Nope."

"You used to be," Cream smiled back at him, "Terribly so. So what changed?"

Smiling, Cream shrugged, "I don't know. You're just not that scary anymore."

That statement almost brought a smile to Shadow's face. _Almost_. Somehow, it made Shadow feel all that much better, knowing that one less person saw him as a monster. What Cream did next nearly made Shadow jump out of his skin; the girl rabbit seized his arm, almost forcefully and beamed even bigger at him.

"Mister, I heard so much about you! Could you tell us of all those bad guys you fought?"

A half smile graced Shadow's face, and even though Knuckles and Sonic hid it, they too were very eager to hear some of his stories. It would be a good change from Sonic's normal tales.

"Well...Once--"

"Your breakfast is ready!" A voice chimed.

Balancing three dishes within her hands, and one on the top of her head, a beautiful girl walked from the kitchen and to where the guests were. She was none other than Rouge. Smiling, Sonic turned and looked pointedly at Shadow. He knew what was there between them. Oh he knew all right, and exploited it for every second in the world.

_'This oughta be good_,' Sonic thought wickedly.

Shadow blinked, regarding the waitress tepidly at first, but when his mind acknowledged that the girl was Rouge, he was startled. He felt his heart catch in his throat as the girl approached his table with a subconscious grace.

"Rouge…" Shadow all but whispered.

At that very moment, the Angels of Heaven should have sang and put a gleaming spot light on the girl. For at the sight of her, Shadow found himself enveloped in the old flames that he had felt for her.

He watched her gracefully balance the dishes and set them on the table before him. She smiled and held her arms akimbo; it seemed as if time itself had left her flawless. If anything, over the years she had gotten more beautiful; with her deeper tan, and her fit, muscularly toned body. Her smile grew as she looked upon her friends, "Is there anything else you might need?"

Cream smiled, "Hi Miss Rouge!"

Rouge petted the girl's head, "Hello there dollface! You better eat before your food gets cold."

"I'd like a refill, please," Knuckles requested.

"Go get it yourself."

Knuckles growled, then mumbled something inaudibly under his breath. Rouge laughed, then patted him on the head, "Just kidding Knuxie, I'll go get your drink!"

Just as Rouge turned to leave, she happened to absently turn her gaze upon Shadow. This halted her in her tracks. The carefree smile upon her face disappeared slowly. Her mind looked as if it was trying to process that Shadow really was seated before her, looking right back at her. And, if Shadow's eyes weren't playing tricks upon him, he swore he saw her trembling, "…Sha-adow…"

A mist stirred within her eyes and she suddenly turned and tore through the building with speed. Startled by such a reaction, Shadow rose to follow her. The black hedgehog turned to look over his shoulder at Sonic. Shadow caught Sonic red-handed, holding _his _dish. Rule number one, if you're going to eat off of someone's plate, wait until they at least leave the room first. Or aren't two steps away from you.

Shadow narrowed his eyes, "…And don't touch my value meal!"

Sonic sighed slightly as he watched Shadow tear after her, "…I wasn't gonna touch his crummy bacon anyways!"

"...Then why do you have it in your hands?" Knuckled pointed out helpfully.

Sonic countered his remark with a glare, "Hey! Shut up!"

* * *

Shadow found he had exited one of the doors that had led him in a rather dank alleyway. He crinkled his nose disdainfully as the smell of the old garbage wafted into his nose. But he pushed those thoughts aside when he heard the soft sounds of sniffling. His gaze fell upon the ivory bat. Rouge was sitting on the street with her back against a rusty dumpster.

As Shadow approached, Rouge looked up at him with teary blue eyes. In the sun, they seemed to shimmer green, "Shadow…I…"

"You don't need to say anything Rouge," Shadow replied softly.

He took a seat beside her, and held her hand within his. Rouge sniffled as she turned to look at him with a deep gaze, "Shadow…I've missed you so much…All this time I thought…I thought…"

"I know," Shadow said softly, "Forgive me."

"You don't have anything to apologize for," Rouge smiled, "Nothing at all."

Momentarily, they both sat in a comfortable silence until Shadow turned to look at her and speak. He slowly rose to his feet as he helped Rouge to hers, "So do you want to talk in a better place? Before we really start to chat?"

Rouge nodded her head happily and entered the door Shadow opened for her. Smirking, he hung back slightly; it was not only the gentlemanly thing to do, but he also earned a vice view of Rouge's retreating form. Shadow's smirk grew; ooh, someone was a naughty boy!

* * *

"…Is that the real deal?" Rouge asked, blinking in disbelief. 

Shadow nodded his head as he stared at his cold, coagulated eggs. He had just filled Rouge in with his tale of survival, and the huntress herself was at a loss. He had told her about everything; Being washed up on a shore, little Rogelio and Soledad, and finding the Chaos Emerald.

He had lost pretty much all his appetite during the story, but he was able to down his free Sprite, courtesy of Rouge. He was on his fourth refill now. Rouge sighed and shook her head as she helped herself to a swig of Pepsi; his whole story had been a lot to digest. And afterwards, his tale left one with an aching, queasy stomach.

Rouge cocked her head slightly, "…So where do you plan on staying?"

Shadow shrugged, "Haven't the foggiest clue, actually."

"Well," Rouge bit her lip, then raised her gaze to peer at him, "Shadow…I know it's sudden but…why don't you just stay at my place?"

Shadow almost spit up soft drink; the invitation to stay with the lovely huntress was almost too good to be true! It was a roof over his head, a free place to stay and…Heaven knows that he is madly attracted to the huntress.

'_Just look at her_,' his conscience, the one with the horns, and the same being that loved to chaos-blast people to bits said, '_She likes you and you like her. Just imagine what we can DO with all of that!'_

"I don't know…" Shadow replied, then he smirked, "As much as I'd really love to."

'_Oh HELL yes_!' the evil conscience replied laughing, '_Let me in baby! Let me in_!!'

"Well, I don't want to impose on you…" Rouge began, "But you just got here…so take your time and do what's best for you."

"Thank you and I shall," Shadow answered.

'…_Well that sucked_…"

"So, how have things been with you?" Shadow asked, "We've been talking about me this whole time."

"Fine," Rouge replied smiling, removing the straw from her lips so she could speak, "Although now I have to work two jobs to make ends-meat. But my night job pays well! I've got everything under control."

"That's good to hear."

Rouge's eyes sparkled devilishly. Shadow didn't know whether that was a good thing, or a bad thing. But either way her wicked smirk was turning him inside-out.

"…Are you sure you don't want to stay with me, even for the night?" Rouge asked with a playful smile, bordering naughty.

'_Look. At .THAT_!' the conscience screamed angrily, '_She wants you to join her! Let's let the girl have fun, she works two jobs_! _And besides, how can you say no to a hunnie like that!?_'

"I'm positive," Shadow replied as the conscience screamed and pulled out his quills.

…But Shadow had another move up his sleeve as he reached over the table and gently took Rouge's hand. At first she seemed to jump, but then she relaxed and looked at him with those deep blue pools.

"I am also sure of something else as well," Shadow's words rolled out of his mouth in a smooth purr.

Shadow wasn't naturally gifted with the art of wooing woman, but when he really applied himself at it, he was a very convincing Casanova. He simply would think of the way most women would appreciate being approached, held, touched, or spoken to and bring his thoughts to life.

At this very moment, his smooth operator persona was kicking in very nicely. When he took Rouge's hand, he made sure to massage her slender palm in slow, deliberate swirls, making large circles. Accompanied with the delicate massage, a subtle, small smirk played on his lips as he made intense eye contact.

Rouge blinked, taken by great surprise, and delight, at Shadow's smooth yet subtle gesture. When she looked up into his eyes, she was melting right into him.

"Shadow..." Rouge breathed, half stunned and half blissful; the massage was working its magic nicely.

Rouge gave him a subconscious gesture that said she wanted something more, and hungrily, yet without skipping a heartbeat, Shadow dived in. Driven by a burning passion for her, after all these years he was going to receive something that he had dreamed about for years. Almost like magnets, they both slowly started to inch closer…

And closer…

Until…

"Hey! Leave my mama alone!"

Shadow had his head yanked backwards as his offender grabbed a hand full of quills and pulled. Shadow leaned so far backwards that he was almost face-to-face with an ivory-colored bat with furious gray eyes, "I said, LEAVE MY MAMA ALONE!"

Rouge sweat-dropped as she looked at Shadow, "…I forgot to tell you, Shadow about my son….So…uh, meet my son, Aries."

* * *

Sonic turned to look at Shadow, who had his face in his palm, "Well?" 

"'Well' what?" Shadow replied with much sarcasm to his voice.

"Why are you being such a grouchy-wouchy?" Sonic said biting back a laugh.

"…"Shadow continued to glare and stare straight forward.

"Shadow?" Sonic asked, looking over at his new chum.

"Why do you think faker?" Shadow roared, "Rouge has a kid…and he practically yanked my head off!"

"Aww Shad," Sonic said, starting a left turn, "He's only a kid! I think he's like…five or something!"

"…"

"And besides, he only does that to guys he thinks are jerks!"

Shadow narrowed his eyes at Sonic, "Was that rationalization supposed to help?"

Sonic shrugged, "I dunno, I guess…"

Shadow sighed as he looked outside of the passenger window, buildings and houses were passing by in a bright blur of neon color. The setting had set the lights and winking neons aglow,"…So how did that happen?"

Sonic glanced at Shadow momentarily, "How did what happen?"

"Rouge's son, Aries or something," Shadow replied, a hint of melancholy in his voice.

"I honestly don't know! He just appeared outta nowhere one day! Kinda like you," Sonic chuckled, " I thought Knux or _you_ and Rouge would have a kid or something."

Shadow blinked, "He's not Knuckles' son?"

"Nope."

"Then who's?"

Sonic shrugged, " I dunno, Rouge never said. But I guess he has to be decent-looking, their kid turned out cute, don't cha think?"

'_Oh yeah, REAL cute_,' Shadow thought, '_the first time I met that little devil he almost yanked my head clear from my neck_!'

_'And** I** thought I was the bad one_,' chimed Shadow's conscience.

Then a thought hit Shadow, "So Rouge's single?"

"Yep," Sonic said preparing to make a lane change, "I guess after dealing with whoever that lucky jerk was, she just does not bother with guys at all anymore."

"…" Shadow started off at nothing.

Sonic turned to suddenly cut Shadow a sideways look, "…You like Rouge, don't you?"

Shadow suddenly snapped to, "What?"

Sonic smirked, "I always knew you liked her…but now you're just…in looove!"

Shadow snorted, and rolled his eyes, "Get over yourself, Cupid."

"Come on, every time you look at her, your eyes dilate!"

Shadow crossed his arms and hunkered into his seat looking as obstinate as a mule. A red and black mule with the ultimate powers! But a stubborn mule nevertheless. He just wasn't going to admit anything.

"So you don't like her?" Sonic asked, "Good, then I got a place where we can go to take care of your problems!"

Shadow turned to look at Sonic and arched an eyebrow, "?"

* * *

Being led in by Sonic, Shadow slowly entered a club. The music was blaring and the lights were dancing as if they were in a frenzy. The place had many tables and a center stage lit with pink and purple lights, and candles. 

The place smelled like rosy perfume, not that Shadow minded, but the music was too loud for his standards. It was also kind of hokey too; the over zealous trumpets, and the sleazy sounding saxophone... It was just too much. He turned to look at Sonic who was chatting with a red female hedgehog. Although it certainly didn't look like it, but the girl was the head waitress of the place.

Shadow peered at her sharply, as he always did with newcomers, then glanced back at Sonic. Although he wasn't a make up expert, he knew that the crimson hedgehog was wearing far too much of it.

"Hedgehog," Shadow began flatly, glaring unabashed at Sonic, "Where are we?"

Shadow's statement was more of a threat than a question. Underneath the question, Shadow was promising that if Sonic failed to give him an appropriate answer, then someone was bound to get their ass kicked by the end of the evening. And that someone would be Sonic.

Before Sonic could answer, the flame-colored hedgehog replied, "Follow me boys and I'll take you to your seats."

They followed the hedgehog to a table near the stage. It was habit for Shadow to scan his surroundings where he went, looking for the nearest exit, door, stairway, or anything of the sort. It was just a survival instinct that Shadow clung to dearly.

Upon studying his unfamiliar environment, he learned that the stage was set up in the bar as the focal point, and crowded around the stage were cute heart-shaped tables for the customers.

That brought up the next thing Shadow noticed; the entire audience was male, and probably the roughest, dirtiest looking guys on top of that. But there were a couple of handsome chaps in the back. The suits were in the rear of the bar, trying to melt in and appear incognito.

Shadow and Sonic took their seats somewhere in the middle, sitting in the midst of the big brutes. The service was surprisingly fast and in no time the two hedgehogs ordered a couple of drinks.

Immediately afterwards, Shadow turned on Sonic, "Where are we?"

"Isn't it obvious? The bright lights? The heart-pounding music. The foxy ladies," Sonic said motioning to a girl who walked past.

Shadow stared at Sonic with his cool gaze locked upon him, "…Okay, okay, we're at a gentleman's club."

"…"

Shadow was oddly calm and silent…_too_ calm and silent. He leaned forward toward Sonic and his eyes took on an odd gleam, "…_Faker_, I have one thing to say to you…you have stooped to a new low in my book…"

'..._Personally, I like him even more_,' the conscience injected sounding quite pleased.

Shadow ignored the conscience dutifully as he glared at Sonic. The expression on Shadow's face seemed to demand an explanation, and so Sonic talked.

"Come on! Shadow," the blue hero said with a smile, "We--_you_ need to unwind a little. You've been gone for five years, and well, this is your homecoming! Oh look, the show's staring!"

Shadow gazed at the stage tepidly, wondering just how in the world he had allowed Sonic to drag him to such a place. And now that Shadow thought about it, everything was starting to make since; the dirty bar flies that composed the audience, the smooth, handsome bachelors in the back hoping to be invisible, and even the overfriendly waitresses who seemed to bend over backwards for a smile.

Both figuratively and literally. Speaking of waitresses, a blue echidna brought their drinks on a cute heart-shaped platter. She looked at them and smiled, "There you go boys, anything else I can do for you? Give a massage, or perhaps get you hungry boys some chicken fingers and baby back ribs?"

Sonic's eyes suddenly lit up, "Ooh! I'd like some baby back ribs, my good woman!"

The blue echidna laughed huskily then glanced at Shadow with twinkling eyes, "And how about the big lug next to you? Would your cute friend like anything else?"

Her heavily made-up eyes were transfixed on him. If Shadow didn't know any better, he'd have thought that the lady was coming onto him. Which she was. Her intense stare managed to even make him, the ultimate life form, uneasy, "No."

"Fine then, suit yourself baby. But if you need anything, just wink and I'll be here in a moment's notice," she smiled at him, then looked at Sonic, "Your friend has the loveliest set of eyes I've ever seen. He's absolutely gorgeous, eh?"

Shadow suddenly found an interest in his neon-pink sugary drink as he stared at the drink's heart-shaped glass. Shadow held up the glass and frowned; a heart-shaped martini glass? Cute.

This place was just too pink and pretty for him. Wasn't this place supposed to be for the guys anyways? If they wanted more customers, they should snag a television and have it on ESPN twenty four-seven. See how much business _that_ would bring in.

The light dimmed as the show began; it was a ploy to bring the audience to focus on the stage. Duh. Surprisingly, a male announcer spoke, "And now gentlemen, give a warm welcome to Officer McLovely. She stands for truth, justice, and great one-night stands!"

Shadow frowned at the terrible pun as a few voices from the crowd yelled out, "That's my kind of woman!"

"I hope she frisks me!"

"I second that!"

Twin spotlights spun around the stage, then focused on the center of the burgundy curtains. The thin curtains allowed a slender, yet curvy silhouette to permeate through. A new raise of whistles and cat-calls rose, and soon the curtains began to rise. Shadow gazed at the stage as the cheer grew louder.

The performer had her back to the audience, and once the music rose, she spun to face the audience, police hat tipped, covering her attractive face. The lady was dressed as a police officer, only her uniform was much more revealing and her thigh-high black boots where spiked with heels which added an extra feminine touch.

He didn't think much of the girl dressed in the revealing police uniform, other then the fact that she had a nice, voluptuous figure and she was skilled at twirling and flipping the baton in her hands.

Very skilled, Shadow noted to himself: her speed and skill with twirling the baton, the crisp extract-ness of her kicks, and her flexibility when she did the splits; Shadow concluded that previously the lady must have studied some sort of martial arts.

Then a thought hit him, a thought that made his heart drop; So what went wrong with the girl? What in her life led her here? Shadow grew more interested with the girl, not to the romantic level of the other men in the facility, but he was genuinely interested in her combat skills; who had trained her?

Who was her sensei? A part of him longer to learn more of who she truly was. In his mind, Shadow secretively made up his mind that he was going to seek her out after her performance. It wasn't until she skillfully tipped her hat from her head and caught it by twirling it upon her fingers that Shadow almost spit out his hot-pink martini.

With a big, bright grin, the girl spun and revealed her pretty face to the crowd and they cheered, applauding her zealously. Shadow was stunned beyond belief at the skillful temptress.

"_Rouge_?"

"Rouge?" Sonic asked half surprised, half delighted, "Well I guess it is! She's pretty good, huh?"

Indeed, the joint's sensation was the treasure huntress herself who displayed her martial skill with her graceful, flexible movements and kicks. Shadow sat back in his chair with a disgruntled face; so now it all fell into place; the flawless martial techniques, and the awesome, killer build.

...Maybe that also explained the uncanny reason why Shadow was so taken by the mysterious dancer girl...

Just as she had finished discarding her tie and started on undoing the buttons on her blouse, Shadow had a strong urge to walk up there, cover her up and yank her off stage so she wouldn't have to shame herself in front of a bunch of losers.

But holy cow that girl was built! She was slim and slender in all the right places and curvy and round in all the most appealing places. Subconsciously, Shadow never knew or imagined, even in his wild fantasy that Rouge could dance like that!

_'So this is the awesome paying job, huh?_' Shadow thought to himself bitterly.

Sonic turned to look at Shadow who was flooded within the blend of pink and purple lights, "You like?"

Shadow sat silently watching her dance. And although he hid it well on the outside, he was fighting the thoughts of shock _and_ the thoughts of pleasure. He was torn someplace in the midst of sweeping her right off the stage, and just enjoying the sight before him. It was terrible internal struggle Shadow was battling.

"…"

Sonic looked at Shadow, since he couldn't read or understand the intense expression plastered on Shadow's face, Sonic assumed that his friend was absorbed into the performance.

Shadow, what a poor, poor soul; he really did need this, "Man, he's so into this…times _must_ have been _really _rough for you in Venezuela my buddy…"

Shadow swallowed some air; so what was the verdict? Yank her off the stage or just go? What would Rouge think if she happened to catch Shadow in the audience, watching her? Hell would break loose, that's what. Shadow decided that it was best to leave, although he didn't mind seeing the treasure huntress do the splits or remove that itty-bitty too tight uniform as well.

Just as Shadow was ready to rise from his seat and sneak out toward the exit, a group of drunks approached the stage and began to try to physically remove Rouge from her perch on the stage. The treasure huntress began to roar in a mixture of anger and fear, fighting off the group to the best of her ability.

"Hey! Take your hands offa me!"

Shadow snapped around and spun at the sound of Rouge's distress. He turned to a sight that made his blood boil and turn his rises ebony, he saw the struggling bat being pulled off the stage by about a group of four guys.

A few of the big, rough fellas near the front of the stage. Probably the same guys saying most of the dirty catcalls. With his face set like stone, Shadow quickly clenched his fists and bared his teeth at the sight before him. He was not going to let such an abomination happen to Rouge.

…_His_ Rouge.

"Come on baby, show me that one move you just did up there," the voice and the smirk belonged to a gray bat.

Even with all her skills she had employed on these customers, Rouge was only able to take two of the four guys off guard with an accurate baton thrust to the gut and the other, who tried to sneak up behind her, was dealt a vicious roundhouse to the face.

The other two brutes managed to take her by surprise and lock her into a restraining hold. From there on it was no contest; Rouge may have been a skillful martial artist, but the big guy was twice, maybe even three times bigger and stronger than she was. Those goons even managed to dwarf Shadow. Rouge looked like a miniature plushie in their hands.

As she struggled in his grip, Rouge's feet dangled off the floor by several feet. When she finally saw that it was pointless to struggle, Rouge settled with glaring balefully at the second of the two brutes. It finally looked like the other guys were just getting to their feet now; inwardly Rouge smirked; she had thumped them pretty good. But now it was their turn to return the favor.

"So what do you say gorgeous? Treat me like that pole you just rode," the gray bat smiled darkly, "And while you're at it, you can use those kung-fu moves on me. I'd like it if you hurt me."

Rouge closed her eyes and turned her face; only to have the same guy snap her head right back at him. Blues eyes met dark blue. He drew in closer, "Mmm, and you smell fine too babe."

He laughed at the furious, yet revolted expression that crossed Rouge's face. Then, as he drew closer, Rouge gathered a wad of saliva and hawked a loogie that would have made any man envious. The bat blinked, then pulled his fist back furious, ready to strike her eagerly.

"Drop. Her. _Now_."

Rouge, who was pressed up firmly against the stone-colored bat turned to the sound of the voice. Great, now she had _five_ big, ugly guys to deal with. However, standing before her valiantly, like any kind of superhero was…

"Shadow!" Rouge gasped as her eyes shrank to the size of pinpoints. Her face turned five different shades of red. Now this she would never live down.

"And am I supposed to be afraid of you?" The gray bat asked with a daring smile, "Buddy, I've seen worse, and I've taken down bigger guys."

Crimson irises boiled as they stared directly upon the smirking gray bat. While keeping dead eye contact with Rouge's captor, Shadow pulled off a steel bar from a nearby radiator and effortlessly crushed it with one hand. It was a simple show of strength that got his point across nicely.

The bar, as well as the bat's confident smirk was destroyed. Shadow threw the bar to the floor and stared en route to towards the bat. The three other drunks who had crowded the stage jumped upon Shadow mercilessly, throwing blows and jabs.

In outrage, Sonic rushed over towards to help his friend. During the entire time Rouge had been seized, Sonic had went off, looking for Shadow, who just up and disappeared during her performance. He detected the jumping and rushed into action, a snarl replacing his stupor. The azure hedgehog skidded to a halt abruptly as he saw Shadow dispatch of them in an unproblematic manner.

Kicks, punches and curses flew everywhere as the club was soon dunked into pandemonium. They were by far no match for Shadow. The furious hedgehog mercilessly introduced them all to the world of pain. His punches were as mighty as surges of lightning, and his kicks were unforgiving, finding painful marks.

One by one they all fell, unmoving and groaning. The last culprit, a green hyena, was smashed over the head with a spare table leg. By now the club was in turmoil as customers went fleeing and the girls were huddled off into a darkened corner.

After watching Shadow clean house, Sonic had made sure that everyone was evacuated from the building. He led and helped all the girls outside, as well the bartenders. He hoped that Shadow would retrieve Rouge with little conflict. Now, after dropping the last of his lackeys, Shadow snarled at the gray hedgehog, who tightened his grip upon Rouge.

The gray bat growled as he stared at the advancing Shadow; this freak, whoever he was, was no joke. The punk with the red streaks had clobbered his boys with little effort, and was now coming for him.

The gray bat glared at Shadow, then he spun Rouge so she faced him. The huntress stared at gray bat with ferocious blue eyes. Too bad; she was really fiery and feisty, and all right to look at too; she would have made one incredibly good...

"Too bad, we could have had fun," he said with a smirk. He looked up at Shadow.

"You want her?" he asked the hedgehog, "Here, then take your little whore!"

He released Rouge and tossed her to the floor as he made his breakaway. Shadow narrowed his eyes; it looked like he was at crossroads for the second time this evening; either chase the bat and beat the life out of him, or stay with Rouge. Who was helpless, exposed, and ashamed.

This one was a no-brainer. Shadow dropped to the floor beside Rouge as he checked her. The huntress slowly rose from the floor to sit up. She avoided eye contact as she tried to make herself presentable.

But with her skimpy outfit, it was hard to look decent. But Shadow was more than quick enough to pick up on her embarrassment and with steel will, he managed to keep his eyes above her neck.

"Are you okay?" Shadow asked, his deep voice melting with concern.

"…Yes…" she replied grimly.

"That's...good to hear."

They should leave now, but how in the world could Shadow drag Rouge outside like this? That would be even more humiliating. Shadow wished he had something to cover her up with; he himself didn't wear anything besides his customary sneaks and gloves. Shadow stood as he glanced around the abandoned club, and to his luck, on a broken table was a man's coat.

Rouge let out a small gasp as Shadow left her side. He paused in the middle of his stride; purposefully he did not turn to look at her, "...I'm not abandoning you. I'm merely going to the table in front of you."

As he promised, Shadow left momentarily and returned with the coat in hand. He took a knee and draped the coat over Rouge's shoulders. Gratefully she buttoned the jacket then smiled at him, "...Thank you."

Sonic reentered the building, and gazed at the two, "Hey, are you guys good to go? We better split before the cops come!"

Green eyes fell upon the girl, " You okay there, Rougey?"

Rouge gave Sonic a thumbs-up, accompanied with a weak smile, "Yeah I'm good."

Shadow helped Rouge to her feet, "Then let's go."

Just as the police were arriving and questioning a few eye witnesses, Shadow helped Rouge into Sonic's bright red Corvette. He joined Rouge in the backseat, and Sonic took the wheel.

A good duration of the ride had been silent, and Shadow found himself mesmerized by the blur of city lights again. As he was melting away in his thoughts, a soft hand rested on top of his.

Shadow turned and saw Rouge returning his stare. She smiled sweetly at him and at that moment, he couldn't help but follow the trend. He smiled back. Maybe not quite as brightly, but it was a true smile nevertheless.

"So Rouge," Sonic asked, catching her eyes in the rear view mirror, "Does this mean that I can't ask you to hook me up with some free baby back ribs anymore?"

First Rouge smiled, then she burst out laughing. For some reason, Sonic's little joke had seemed dead-drop hilarious. She laughed and laughed heartily. After awhile, Rouge's laughter had become contagious, and Sonic himself was laughing. Only Shadow sat without laughter, but he still managed a smirk.

* * *

Sonic dropped the two off at Rouge's apartment, as Shadow had agreed to stay with Rouge for the night. By now the day was slowing slipping into dusk. The sky was a shade of purple; indigo. Rouge led Shadow to a simple apartment complex ,which was much better than it's surrounding neighborhood. 

Shadow wondered momentarily if Rouge and her son were safe traveling and shopping at the local district. Rouge pointed Shadow to stairs that ascended at least five stories. Shadow blinked then scoffed, "What the hell is this? Who would build stairs this high?"

Rouge giggled, "It's not so bad."

"Why, do you live on the second floor?"

"No, the fifth."

Shadow glared at her, "So why is it 'not so bad'?"

"Because you get great exercise this way. Wanna go up first?"

"Ladies first," Shadow replied blankly; that was one helluva staircase to climb. It was best to watch the pros first.

With arms akimbo, Shadow watched with mild interest as Rouge climbed upstairs with little conflict. He only realized his mistake in letting her go up first as she ascended a couple of flights up.Within a moment's notice, he zipped right next to her, startled, Rouge blinked, "Deciding to join me now that you see how easy it is?"

"Yeah, something like that," Shadow replied.

What a big fat lie that was! The coat Rouge wore skirted around her legs like a dress, and after awhile, once she had made her way far enough up on the stairs, he would have had a nice view up her makeshift dress.

Shadow rubbed his eyes; this was too much for one guy to handle. The girl of his dreams had been nearly half naked, and being sure not to take advantage of her, he had to act more like a father than a love interest.

Oh yes, temptation had been just kicking his sorry ass all day long. It was startling to take a toll on his usually steel-minded psyche. Shadow nearly toppled into Rouge when she came to an abrupt halt. Well, it hadn't been abrupt because he was so busy being submerged in his thoughts that he didn't realize Rouge had stopped before a door.

"Well, here we are! Home, sweet home," Rouge said.

The door was peeled open to reveal a plain white living room that led into a compact kitchen. Although the place was decently small, it was perfectly clean and fairly new. Shadow could detect the scent of a new carpet.

Shadow stepped into the place to see Rouge's son, Aries, scribbling on a large paper happily. The child was making large loops and circles with his crayons, he used the wooden floor as his canvas.

Cream, who was sitting above him in a chair, looked as if she was about to doze off any second from now. She snapped her eyes open when she heard the door open. That always meant that Rouge was home, and she would collect her payment!

Both Cream and Aries raised their heads to greet Rouge, but their happy expressions vanished when they saw her, "…What's wrong Miss Bat?"

Rouge sniffled and smiled, "Nothing Cream honey. Thanks for watching Aries as always. I'll give you your payment tomorrow, okay sweet heart?"

"Okay Miss Bat," Cream said smiling, "And don't worry about dinner, I fed him and everything. He was the perfect angel today."

Cream looked at Shadow and smiled even wider, "Hello mister! Are you friends with Miss Rouge?"

"No, I hate her to death," Cream laughed at his heavy sarcasm, and his nearly stolid expression.

He looked at her and smirked; cute kid. And smart too, he was slightly surprised that the girl was able to detect his sarcasm. Aries blinked and looked at Shadow, his round eyes studying him.

Timely enough, a horn honked outside of the apartment and Cream rose, "Well, there's my mom! Bye Miss Bat, bye mister!"

She rose and exited the house once she patted Aries's noggin. Before she left she flashed a silly grin at Shadow then headed on her way out. Once the rabbit disappeared, Aries raised his head to gaze at his mother, "Hi mama!"

Rouge smiled, then squatted so that she was at her son's level. She stroked his head affectionately, "Hi Aries, did you have fun with Cream?"

"Uh-huh!" Aries nodded his head enthusiastically, "We had pizza for dinner, and look! I drew a picture!"

"Looks like I'll have to add that to my collection he's drawn for me," Rouge laughed, then she turned to Shadow, " I have to get…um...change into something much more decent, you don't mind watching Aries, do you?"

"Not at all," Shadow replied.

He watched as Rouge walked to her room. She gently touched her son on his shoulder and went off. He boy smiled appreciatively at his mother, then went back to scribbling aimlessly. Shadow walked over to a wall filled with the child's doodlings. He gazed at all of the pictures with polite interest.

"Hi."

Shadow turned his head to gaze at the little child on the floor. The little white bat had dropped his scarlet crayon and was now blinking up at him with vivid gray eyes. He was an extremely cute kid with large, round eyes, "Hello Aries."

"Are you a friend of my mama?" Aries asked.

Shadow took a seat at a sofa in front of the boy. He looked at the kid, genuinely intrigued in the smaller life form, " Yes. But what made you decide to be so civil?"

"Ci-bil?"

Shadow laughed, "Why are you being nice to me now? You hated me a couple of hours ago."

" 'Cause mama said you were really nice," Aries said almost sheepishly, "And she said she liked you, even before I was born."

Now this was interesting; Shadow arched an eyebrow, "Oh, is that so?"

"Uh-huh. Shadow, I'm sorry…I was mean to you earlier," Aries apologized, looking to the floor shamefully.

Smirking, Shadow walked over to the kid and bent in front of him, " That's okay little man. Since we're cool now, how about a high-five. You know what that is, don't you?"

Aries nodded his head eagerly as he tried to high-five Shadow, who moved his hand before the bat could high-five him, " Too slow!"

Aries laughed and tried again, but like before, Shadow moved his hand, " Too low!"

"Too high!"

"Too slow! And now you gotta go!"

Now Aries, in a fit of giggles and determination was in a frenzy, trying with all his might to give the dark hedgehog a high-five. However, now Aries' aim was twice as terrible. A couple of times he missed and even fell to the floor, just to bounce back up again. In the midst of their play, Rouge re-entered the front room, dressed in a purple jogging sweat suit and arched an eyebrow at their game.

Then she smiled once she saw how hard her young son laughed, she watched happily for a few minutes before she spoke out to him, "Okay Aries, I think it's bedtime."

Aries frowned as he turned to look at his mom, " Aww mama! I want to play with Shadow! I like him! He's cool!"

In reflex, Shadow laughed; he liked the kid, he has good taste! Rouge shook her head, "It's nearly eight thirty, now say goodnight to Shadow and go to bed. I'll be there to tuck you in shortly."

"Okay," Aries sighed dejectedly, he turned to Rouge, "Goodnight mama, goodnight Shadow!"

"'Night little man," Shadow replied.

With one last glance, Aries looked at Shadow with a smile, "Shadow, will you play with me tomorrow too!?"

Shadow blinked; well, he hadn't seen that one coming, "Uh..."

He looked at Rouge, who had a small smile on her face. While smiling, she raised both eyebrows, awaiting his answer. Shadow turned to her son and smiled, "Of course, but you better be faster by tomorrow."

Aries grinned from ear to ear, looked at him mom one last time, then scampered off. Rouge sighed and turned to look at Shadow, looking exasperated, "If he does not go to bed at eight thirty, then he'll be up all night!"

Rouge sighed again, then looked at Shadow, her smile was fleeting and she looked slightly distraught. She began to fiddle with her fingers nervously.

Shadow crossed his arms; what was she being so nervous about, whatever she had to say, it must have been really important, "Shadow…after this evening…I feel that we should talk maybe…"

"Somewhere where young ears won't catch us?" Shadow smirked, finishing off her thought," Certainly."

"The balcony?"

"That's fine."

For a slit second, Rouge giggled, Shadow looked down at her, "What?"

"Great, now I'll have two Shadows in my house."

"Explain."

"Well, Aries is going to mimic you completely now! And I'll not only have to deal with one Shadow, but two!"

"That's a great thing, to see two Shadows."

"It's a terrible thing Shadow."

"...And just what do you know?"

* * *

Both Rouge and Shadow stepped outside of the apartment to find themselves standing upon a small balcony. It gave a nice little look out over a couple of buildings. It wasn't anything spectacular, but it certainly was a place that one could go to think and clear their head. 

While Shadow studied the view for a moment, Rouge turned to gaze at Shadow with sad eyes, she looked hard-pressed, trying to find a place to start. Although Shadow wasn't looking at her, he knew that she had her eyes trained on him, "Just speak what's on your mind."

Rouge blinked and looked at him, this time Shadow was looking back at her, his expression was soft, yet firm, "You have nothing to hide with me."

He hoped.

Rouge sighed and began; it looked like he hoped rightfully, "Shadow…about tonight…I don't want you to think any less of me…"

Rouge stopped sniffling when she felt Shadow place a gentle hand upon her shoulder. She squeezed her eyes tightly; here it comes, he's going to light into me. Banish me. Already she could picture the perfected sneer on his face, and the red eyes no larger than slits. His voice would be cold and seething at the same time, _'Get the hell away from me_.'

His words would chill like ice and burn like acid. He would be disgusted with her, terrified with ever associating with a filthy creature such as herself...

Instead of a façade of disgust, as Rouge feared, when she opened her eyes, to her surprise she saw that his eyes were soft, "….I understand completely, you had to do what you had to…to take care of yourself and your son."

Rouge nodded her head, and smiled. Then her true smile turned sarcastic and she laughed dryly, "Of course the moment I decide to keep that a secret…there you are in the audience watching…But I'm done with that place… I've had one-too many encounters like that in there."

Rouge arched an eyebrow at him, "…I'm curious Shadow, just what where you doing in there?"

Shadow coughed as he averted his gaze, the spotlight was turned on him now,"…That was the blue hedgehog's idea of 'showing me a good time.'"

Rouge, despite her confession, burst out laughing, "Oh I see. You don't need to explain yourself any further….Your story and life are as pure as crystal."

Blinking, Shadow turned to look at Rouge; she was gazing off at the moon. She stared at the sky, looking up as if the Heavens held all the answers for her.

When she spoke, her voice was soft like velvet, "I really would want to ask you to stay with me…even if it was just for tonight because you're the only person I trust…and everything else around me seems to be crumbling."

As Rouge lowered her head, her eyes were hidden within shadows, "…Five years ago, when we all thought you were dead, not all of our lives have been this sweet dream world…After you've been away for five years, everything's been going straight to hell for me…"

Rouge's grip upon the balcony's tightened, as she choked out her story, "…Almost immediately, a couple of weeks after your 'death' I was …I was…"

Rouge bit back a sob as she wrestled through her story with misty eyes, "…I had Aries the next nine months. I never knew his father, but without a shadow of a doubt, I know that his father had gray eyes…Just like…Aries…"

Rouge laughed, "Pretty pathetic huh? How I could just fall from what I used to be: A fearless and brave treasure hunter and now, here I am some kind of cheap thrill for the lowest of the low and a part time waitress. What a fall from grace that was!"

Rouge burst out crying suddenly and Shadow rushed to her side and did the only thing his mind could think of, he put her into a hug. Holding onto her tightly.

Rouge grasped onto him for dear life, feeling that if she let him go, she would loose him again, "…At first, I wondered why I trudged through life, working menial jobs. But now, that I have both you and Aries…I feel that I can go on…I feel hope."

Shadow lifted Rouge's chin so she stared into his eyes, and whatever it was that she saw there, it made her blush a pale pink, " Rouge…of those five years I was gone from you…there wasn't one where I didn't think of you."

"I thought you were strong before…but now that I see you now, after all of the hardship, I realize that I failed to even scratch the surface of how strong you really are."

Rouge blinked and looked up at the sky, the deep, violet-blue indigo sky. It was both dark and light at the same time, "…Please Shadow…please stay with me…at least for tonight, and…"

Shadow held her, "…At first I was hesitant, hoping to make my own path here, and start a new life in Station Square…but why would I do that when I haven't finished my old life…with you."

Rouge smiled beautifully as tears, new happy tears flowed down her face, "Oh…Shadow..."

She rested her head against his shoulder, relishing the small moment of tranquility. Maybe things would turn back around for the huntress. She finally wasn't all alone any more.

"Rouge."

"Hmm?"

"Sonic took me to a strip club and startled me. Now I think I should take him to a place to scare him...the library."

She gripped him in a tight, cheerful hug as she beamed brightly and laughed. She stopped laughing when she felt Shadow press his index finger to her lips. Blinking, she smiled up at him, "Yes?"

Shadow bent over and leaned forward, so that his face was mere inches from hers. Rouge blushed charmingly as Shadow smirked, "Remember when we were in your restaurant earlier today?"

Rouge closed her eyes briefly, "That truly happened all today?" then, she reopened her bright eyes, "Yes, of course."

"I believe you still owe me something."

"?" Rouge blinked back at him curiously.

"You were about to kiss me," the deep, satin smooth purr of Shadow's tenor made Rouge's face flush, "...and then we were interrupted, and honestly..."

Shadow cupped her face in his hand, "...I wasn't done yet."

Suavely, Shadow went in for the kill, both earnestly yet patiently, and met Rouge's lips with a smile. Delightfully surprised, Rouge closed her eyes as she allowed herself to melt into his embrace. It was the sweetest thing they had both tasted in awhile.

Just like both of them had dreamed, their shared kiss was fabulous; both new, but familiar, passionate, yet delicate. So finally, after being trapped in a foreign world for nearly five years, Shadow had finally found his family, freedom and home, his true home…

….Right underneath a serene, indigo sky…

-_Indigo is the color that signifies subtleness and balance, also it a color that signifies hope- _

-The End

**_-ThE iNdiGo Sky_**


End file.
